WHO: Anabel & Michelle. WHEN: Many years ago! WHERE: Gregory & Anabel's house. SUMMARY: Two Mom's enjoy talking to an adult before they're interrupted by the children. WARNINGS: None.
Anabel yawned as she looked at the coffee maker, willing it to work more quickly. She was happy to hear the childish laughter in the other room while she got some time with Michelle. As the girls got older it seemed they could feel more and more comfortable giving them space to be kids in one room while they could sort of be adults in the other room - though she imagined both their ears were attuned to the sounds in the other room.
“Any particular way you’d like your coffee today,” Anabel asked.
“Just milk, nothing fancy,” Michelle replied from her place at the Marple’s kitchen table. Playdates like this were a joy for the girls, but also a respite for their mothers, who could enjoy a chat with a friend, another adult who knew what it was like to raise children nowadays. Someone else who was tired, who felt that she could do better, who worried if she was too strict or too lenient, who…
“Thank you for having us,” she said with a smile.
“Are you kidding?” Anabel asked. “These are as much as for me as they are for the girls.” A buzz filled the air, meaning the coffee was finally ready. She took out two mugs and prepared the coffee, handing the one with milk to Michelle. While she added cinnamon and milk to her own. “Tell me the latest Arquette news.”
Michelle took her cup with a silent Thank you. It was too hot to drink yet, but she breathed in its aroma with pleasure. In her life as a young working mother, coffee was not just a beverage anymore, it was a necessity.
“Let’s see…” Michelle scrunched her nose as she tried to remember what she had already told Anabel, and what was new. “Levi gave a call to Gus the other night. He’s doing good. We might go and visit him over the summer.” Like his brother, Levi graduated from University of Washington in journalism, but unlike his brother, he did not return to Fall City and its newspaper but rather chose to work in broadcast journalism.
“Oh?” Anabel smiled then blew on the liquid in the mug of her own. “Do you think you’ll be able to make it there and back before you pop out the next little one?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll plan around it,” Michelle replied, rubbing her belly. She was still fairly early in her pregnancy, but there was no hiding it anymore. Not that she’d ever want to hide it; she was happy to welcome a third child with Gus. This one might be a boy… She hadn’t had her ultrasound yet, and so it was still a surprise.
“What about Gregory and you, have you begun to make plans for the summer?” Michelle asked, before taking a sip of her cup of coffee.
Anabel nodded her head. “Oh yes, we’re doing our best to give the girls lots of weekend trips to museums in Seattle. And we’ll probably do some tubing in the river as well. You know, the usual.”
Michelle listened as she took her time to fully enjoy her coffee’s taste and aroma. Being pregnant, she was allowed to drink coffee, but in limited quantity. If she could only drink a cup or two per day, she might as well make the most of each sip.
“That will be fun,” Michelle said, honestly. It wasn’t “the usual” without reason: it was a regular outing because it was truly fun. “We’ll probably do some tubing in the river too. We should go together at least once, both families, don’t you think?”
“Of course,” Anabel agreed easily. She was happy to have other parents in the community that were up for similar outings. “It’s always more fun when there are some adults around.”
Michelle was of the same mind. Raising children and working full time, while her husband studied at university… it was tiring. Exhausting. It had taken its heavy toll on Michelle, leading her to depression. It was good to be out of it now; Gus graduated and Michelle finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. And with this third child coming… Life was good.